Interstate commerce

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Judson C. Clements

President Roosevelt is concerned about the injunction issued by Judge Thomas Goode Jones which forbids the enforcement of Alabama rate laws. He believes the federal government should decide any matter related to interstate commerce, and he wants to ensure that there is due process. Roosevelt asks Judge Judson C. Clements of the Interstate Commerce Commission to investigate the matter discretely and send him a full report on the merits of the case.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-03

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Martin A. Knapp

President Roosevelt believes that the federal government should have complete control of the issuance of securities by businesses engaged in interstate commerce. Additionally, he concurs that railroads should not own stock in other railroad companies unless the federal government permits it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-10

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Albert Johnson

President Roosevelt is unaware of the statement to which Minnesota Governor Johnson is referring, which was attributed to Roosevelt. He has not spoken to any reporter on the subject. Roosevelt agreed that Johnson’s idea of a meeting of the representatives of the States and the District of Columbia regarding insurance was an excellent idea, and he supported it. Interstate commerce is very different, however, and Roosevelt does not believe that such a conference would be helpful.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-03-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Albert Johnson

President Roosevelt agrees with Minnesota Governor Johnson that if Congress is unwilling to act in the matter, the states need to take affirmative action regarding life insurance. Although Roosevelt believes that the national government should control companies that participate in interstate commerce, he is prepared to take action to encourage the states to act jointly if Congress will not.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles F. Scott

President Roosevelt congratulates Representative Scott for his speech on the interstate commerce question.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-31

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Benjamin Ide Wheeler

President Roosevelt found the letter about the new senator from Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of the University of California, to be informative. He believes pooling should be permitted as approved by a strong interstate commerce commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frank B. Kellogg

President Roosevelt sincerely thanks Frank B. Kellogg for helping with the interstate commerce question.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Gurney Cannon

President Roosevelt followed Speaker of the House Cannon’s suggestion and offered Vespasian Warner the position of commissioner of pensions. As such, it will be difficult to appoint Scott as the public printer. He asks Cannon to stop by to discuss issues.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-13

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles William Eliot

President Roosevelt thanks Charles William Eliot for his thoughts on James H. Hyde. Because Roosevelt believes Hyde needs more diplomatic experience, he will start Hyde in a minor position and then transfer him to France, if he does well. Roosevelt appreciates Eliot’s compliments on his message and believes questions about industrialism outweigh questions concerning the tariff, remarking that “sooner or later the nation must undertake the regulation of all the great corporations engaged in interstate commerce.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William E. Chandler

President Roosevelt tells William E. Chandler, member of the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission, that he wants the Interstate Commerce Commission to be remodeled before delegating additional power to it. The president promises to look into Chandler’s third point, although he does not think it much of an issue.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-12

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt has been pressing Senator Cullom on the importance of an interstate matter and feels Cullom would stay if the corporation legislation were given to his committee rather than the Judiciary Committee.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-05

Letter from George C. Pullman to Theodore Roosevelt

George C. Pullman of the Oratorical and Debating Association asks Theodore Roosevelt for information on the federal incorporation of all corporations engaged in interstate commerce and whether he favors a law requiring corporations to take out a federal charter. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-11-04

Letter from Albert H. Walker to Theodore Roosevelt

Albert H. Walker regrets that Theodore Roosevelt does not estimate the potential efficacy of the Sherman Act as higher. He suggests that prior to Roosevelt’s administration, this law was significantly neglected. The country is starting to benefit from Roosevelt’s implementation of the law, and public opinion favors its continued vigorous enforcement. It would take years to enact the administrative commissions proposed by those who desire to attain efficient control of corporations by moving away from the Sherman Act, especially those corporations engaged in interstate commerce. Walker further discusses this point.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-07-31

Letter from Richard Wilson Knott to Theodore Roosevelt

Richard W. Knott writes to Theodore Roosevelt to offer his dissenting opinion in regards to regulating prices in interstate commerce. Knott contends that the federal government exercising control over interstate commerce too much could jeopardize industrial progress by eliminating competition between companies.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-03

Letter from John W. Batdorf to Theodore Roosevelt

John W. Batdorf writes to Theodore Roosevelt about his position on regulating interstate commerce. Batdorf advocates for regulations that would not infringe on individuals or disturb their business relations. Batdorf sent an enclosed document with some of his suggestions and requests Roosevelt review them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-03

Letter from Samuel D. Smolev to Theodore Roosevelt

Samuel D. Smolev is acting as debate manager at Masten Park High School, which he attends in Buffalo, New York, and asks Theodore Roosevelt for his view on an upcoming debate topic. The issue to be discussed is whether corporations engaging in interstate commerce should be required to take out a federal charter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-03-08

Letter from Anderson M. Baten to Theodore Roosevelt

Anderson M. Baten asks Theodore Roosevelt’s opinion on a number of questions related to interstate commerce.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-03-01

Letter from Holbrook Fitz-John Porter to Theodore Roosevelt

Holbrook Fitz-John Porter has read Theodore Roosevelt’s editorials on Nationalism and Special Privilege with interest. He sends an article based on his suggestions, which proposes how to secure collective state control of local industrial enterprises. Porter discusses his ideas on achieving this.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-01-30

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte submits suggestions to President Roosevelt regarding the Interstate Commerce Commission. Legislation will be recommended to Congress because of the recent Supreme Court decision in Harriman vs. the Interstate Commerce Commission. Bonaparte compares a number of judicial opinions from the Supreme Court Justices, and provides a recommendation to amend a portion of the law establishing the Interstate Commerce Commission so that it has more explicit legal authority to conduct investigations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-30

An act to amend an act entitled “An Act to Protect Trade and Commerce against Unlawful Restraints and Monopolies”

This act seeks to amend a previous act dealing with the restraint of trade through monopolies by adding several sections detailing procedures for filing contracts with the Interstate Commerce Commission in order that they might be investigated by the commission. Additionally, this act proscribes that the Interstate Commerce Commission be enlarged to nine members, with additional members to be appointed by the president.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-01